Movie review: Edge of Tomorrow' a fun, furious, finely crafted slice of sci-fi with a twist

It’s an easy joke to make — and we’ve made it: If seeing Tom Cruise die again and again is a dream of yours, the science fiction adventure “Edge of Tomorrow” is the movie for you.

Sort of “Independence Day” meets “Groundhog Day,” “Edge of Tomorrow” has Cruise’s character stuck in a time loop, dying again and again on the same day during a fight with alien invaders.

But make no mistake about it — “Edge of Tomorrow” is no joke. Thanks to an excellent script, outstanding direction and a really nice performance by Cruise, “Edge of Tomorrow” is the most entertaining movie of the summer so far, and the guess here is no movie coming over the next couple of months will best it in terms of quality.

Set in the near future after an alien invasion, “Edge of Tomorrow” has Cruise playing Major William Cage, a public-relations specialist for the U.S. military who is furious when he’s lent out to forces in Europe who are about to launch a major offensive against the aliens. A European general (Brendan Gleeson) wants Cage there to chronicle the event and sell it to the public. When he refuses and goes so far as to use his PR skills to smear the general, he awakens amid a troop going into the battle and finds himself busted down to private.

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His new commander — played by Bill Paxton, seemingly reveling in the chance to play a military man from Kentucky — has been warned that Cage will try to impersonate an officer and to send him into the thick of the battle no matter what. Begrudgingly, Cage puts on one of the heavily armed mechanical suits used to combat the aliens and goes to war with the rest of the battalion.

Things go very badly very quickly, the aliens appearing to know the attack was coming. Cage witnesses many deaths, including famed Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), a symbol of hope for humanity. Then Cage, himself, meets a gruesome end.
And then, for some reason, he wakes up at the beginning of the day, meets his new commander and brothers-in-arms and goes to war again, failing along the way to convince anyone that he has already met them. The results are similarly deadly the second time through.

Cage keeps waking up after dying and going through these several hours again, trying to change what he can, including saving the life of Vrataski. Surprisingly, she seems to understand what is happening to him and, recognizing his significance, tells him, “Come find me when you wake up,” right before she and he die yet again.

Cage figures out a way to break away from his battalion, with some trial and error, and finds Vrataski hours before the battle. This sets in motion a unique relationship in which she serves as a mentor, training Cage to fight the aliens, and he goes to battle with her again and again, working to map out a route for the two of them to get through the fray unharmed so they can take on a more important mission against the enemy.

“Edge of Tomorrow” could have been a tedious affair, the filmmakers showing us too much of too many days, having Cage go through the same encounters again and again. But director Doug Liman (“The Bourne Identity,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”) and writers Christopher McQuarrie (“The Usual Suspects,” “Jack Reacher”) and brothers Jez and John-Henry Butterworth (“Fair Game”) — working from the novel “All You Need Is Kill” by Hiroshi Sakurazaka — are too smart for that.

The movie is exquisitely structured, Liman and company giving us just the right amount of Cage’s day — sometimes merely a five-second snippet — to keep things moving and highly entertaining. And, yes, they do get a kick out of killing Cage, Vrataski matter-of-factly putting a gun to his head whenever she deems it’s time to “reset,” him not always being quite as on board.

Why is this happening to Cage? What gives him this ability? The answer, silly as it may be, is revealed, which is all you can ask for. And this ability is crucial to defeating the aliens. So, it’s crucial it be preserved, which takes some maintenance and “resetting.”

Cruise and Blunt (“The Adjustment Bureau,” “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” — who looks like she got ripped for the role — make a nice tandem, neither of them being required to carry too much of the dramatic load. As the story progresses, “Edge of Tomorrow” reminds you that dynamic between Cage and Vrataski has been forged over a great deal of time for him but not for her. He comes to care for her deeply, while she — having known him for, at most, several hours — is able to stay much more detached emotionally during the mission.

In addition to being very strong in terms of character development and storytelling, “Edge of Tomorrow” also boasts plenty of high-powered action as Cage and Vrataski take on the slithery and deadly alien mimics.

And, heck, the 3-D effects even look really good! This is one where it’s probably worth the extra few bucks and the hassle of wearing those glasses.

About the only sour note comes at the very end of “Edge of Tomorrow,” where the movie wants to have its cake and eat it, too. But, with all the good that comes before then, we can handle a dessert that’s just a bit too sweet.

“Edge of Tomorrow” — rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and brief suggestive material — is in theaters June 6 — running time: 1 hour, 53 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.

About the Author

Mark is a lifelong Northeast Ohioan and an Ohio University grad. Along with loving music, movies and television, he is crazy about sports and tech. Reach the author at mmeszoros@news-herald.com
or follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkMeszoros.